Officials of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) have endorsed Secretary-General Davji Atellah’s bid for the Lang’ata parliamentary seat.
The union officials urged their secretary-general to use the position to champion workers’ rights and push for legislation that addresses the challenges facing health professionals.
The union’s national chairperson, Dr Abidan Mwachi, announced the endorsement during a retreat for KMPDU officials in Naivasha, saying the leadership had unanimously agreed to support Atellah’s candidature.
“We have unanimously and consequently endorsed the candidature of Atellah for Lang’ata MP,” Mwachi said.
The endorsement marks a significant step in Atellah’s political ambitions, with union officials expressing confidence that his experience representing health workers would help him advance labour rights and healthcare reforms in Parliament.
KMPDU national treasurer Dr Mercy Nabwire said the country needed leaders who understood the challenges facing workers and could represent their interests in the legislative process.
“The leadership we need is one that will have our voice at the table where legislation is passed, legislation that affects the life of a health worker, and that is Parliament,” Nabwire said.
She added that health workers wanted their concerns addressed directly through laws that reflected their working conditions and professional realities.
“We want legislation that speaks to the realities of health workers,” she said.
Nabwire criticised what she described as a political and economic divide between the country’s elite and ordinary citizens, arguing that workers’ concerns had not received adequate attention.
“At the moment, we have a political elite class and poor citizens of the country who nobody thinks about,” she said.
She maintained that labour rights were inseparable from the broader struggle for social justice, expressing confidence that Atellah would help shift parliamentary debates towards the needs of workers.
“The struggles of workers are struggles for social justice. We will reshape this landscape. Moving forward, what is discussed in Parliament will centre around workers,” Nabwire said.
She described Atellah as a committed leader who believed in justice and equitable access to quality healthcare.
“We have endorsed the candidature of Atellah, and we are very jealous of the people of Lang’ata because they are going to get a formidable, committed leader who believes in justice, who believes every Kenyan deserves the highest-quality healthcare services,” she said.
Atellah, however, has yet to disclose the political party whose ticket he intends to use or indicate which of the emerging political formations he will align himself with ahead of the 2027 General Election.
His entry into the race comes after incumbent Lang’ata MP Phelix Odiwuor, popularly known as Jalang’o, announced that he would not defend his parliamentary seat in 2027, opting instead to pursue the Nairobi Senate seat.
